Modern electronics, such as smart phones, cell phones, digital cameras, personal digital assistants, location based services devices, and enterprise class appliances, are packing more integrated circuits into an ever shrinking physical space with expectations for decreasing cost. As more functions are packed into the integrated circuits and more integrated circuits into the package, integrated circuit packages must continue to provide a mechanism for making electrical interconnection between the integrated circuit die and the leads that are utilized to make electrical interconnections to circuits, power, and ground external to the integrated circuit die. In the early stages of integrated circuit development, there were relatively few connections between the integrated circuit die and the external circuitry.
Wire bonding is a common and mature interconnection technology, which electrically connects a die to a substrate or an interposer. Connections between the die and the substrate or the interposer allow input/output (I/O) signals on the die to enter or leave by way of bond pads located on edges of the die.
The wire bonding process has become more challenging, especially in producing a smaller bond deformation on a limited pad area in a repeatable manner. The wire bonding process must fulfill a bond strength (i.e. a wire pull test or a ball shear test) criterion to meet reliability requirements.
Demands for high computing speed, memory space, and complex integrated circuit (IC) devices with increased functions per chip require a high input/output (I/O) density. However, the high I/O density continues to be limited by the space (or “real estate”) available due to a tight geometry constraint.
Thus, a need still remains for an integrated circuit packaging system including the high I/O density and the reliability requirements. In view of the ever-increasing need to improve integration and cost reduction, it is increasingly critical that answers be found to these problems. In view of the ever-increasing commercial competitive pressures, along with growing consumer expectations and the diminishing opportunities for meaningful product differentiation in the marketplace, it is critical that answers be found for these problems. Additionally, the need to reduce costs, improve efficiencies and performance, and meet competitive pressures adds an even greater urgency to the critical necessity for finding answers to these problems.
Solutions to these problems have been long sought but prior developments have not taught or suggested any solutions and, thus, solutions to these problems have long eluded those skilled in the art.